Microsoft is planning to kill off the Nokia and Windows Phone brands

Microsoft is about to drop the Nokia and Windows Phone names from its smartphone branding.

According to a leaked internal document, the company is planning to kill of the Nokia name in time for the holidays, while Windows Phone will become plain old Windows in marketing materials.

The presentation, obtained by the GeeksOnGadgets website says: “As part of our phased transition, we will drop the manufacturer name [Nokia] from product references during the Holiday campaign.”

The move comes as little surprise considering the Nokia company still exists in its Finnish homeland and Microsoft only owns the devices and services side of the business.

Also, Microsoft has been moving towards that ‘One Windows’ world for a while now, unifying the look and feel of its respective desktop, mobile and gaming platforms.

The company is also working towards an new era where applications will be universal across its Windows platforms, so dropping the Windows Phone name also makes sense.

The change will occur in time for the holiday season, according to the leaked information, so devices like the Lumia 730 and Lumia 735, unveiled at the IFA tech show last week are likely to be the last to carry the Nokia name.

Microsoft has also been shying away from using Windows Phone in its most recent commercials, while the HTC One (M8) is being advertised as “for Windows”

Will you miss the Nokia brand name, or is it time for Microsoft to move on? Will it be a Lumia and Surface world from here on out?

Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He's based in South Florida, USA.
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